Associated PressJason Varitek's smack heard around the world was a monumental piece in the New York vs. Boston rivalry.

BOSTON – The Boston Red Sox have bid their final farewells to Jason Varitek.

Varitek announced his retirement March 1 at Fenway South, citing that it was the best decision for him and his family. On Saturday, he was given his proper farewell in an on field celebration at Fenway Park, where he was joined by his family, friends, and various influential figures from his career.

Gone but not forgotten, his teammates spent the afternoon talking about how much Varitek meant to the organization and how his legacy continues to live on.

“I was very fortunate to come up when I did and be part of this organization with him,” Lester said. “He really helped me early in my career. He helped a lot of guys out. I think that kind of sums up ‘Tek.”

Varitek spent 14 years with the Red Sox, helped the team to two World Series, and finished with the most hits, home runs, RBIs, and runs by a catcher in team history. But it was ‘C’ that he wore on his chest and the attitude Lester spoke of that best defines his legacy.

When Varitek was named captain in 2004 he famously talked about how he loved being dirt dog because it reflected how the city felt about the game.

"Being a Red Sox in this city just pulls a lot out of me because I think a lot of my values and a lot of the fans' values and a lot of guys that play here have the same values,” he said. “They like to get dirty; fans like us to get dirty. We want to play hard and leave what we have on the field, and that's what they demand out of you here."

And that’s how he always approached the game. Numbers never mattered to him. He measured his success and failures by how well that day’s starting pitcher performed and if the team won.

Each day he would devour a binder of stats and tendencies of the opposing hitters, then devise a plan on how to best attack them. That level of preparation is reflected in the fact that he caught four no-hitters, the most in history.

The way he prepared for each game rubbed off on Jarrod Saltalamacchia last season, and he pays his respects to the captain by trying to best emulate his approach to the game.

“The importance of the pitchers is obviously No. 1,” Saltalamacchia said. “It doesn’t matter what you do at the plate, it’s more important what you’re doing behind the plate. That’s really helped me out a lot.

“At the end of the day, the win is what matters. You can’t win if the pitchers don’t pitch. I’m not here to create all the offense. I’m being paid to catch and call a good game.”

The Red Sox acquired Varitek and Derek Lowe in a trade with the Seattle Mariners for Heathcliff Slocumb in 1997. He became a mainstay on Boston’s roster the next season and quickly became a favorite of the pitching staff.

Players such as Pedro Martinez, Curt Schilling and Josh Beckett swore by him, and he helped develop other young pitchers such as Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester. He was always there to offer advice or even tackle a charging hitter, and his pitchers always loved him for it.

“I’m probably a little biased. I’m sure there’s guys on other teams who have guys on their teams who they say the same thing about,” Josh Beckett told reporters after Varitek announced his retirement. “Even watching him from afar, you could see other guys on other teams have that respect for Jason and he deserved it.”